(erielack) Erie Signals

[Wdburt1_@_aol.com]

Bob Bahrs wrote:
 
> When you walk or ride along a  right of ways you constantly  
> find signal stanchions that don't conform to a  particular track  chart, 
but 
> they did to some previous chart that is  now  obsolete.
 
True.  On The Allegany Division old main line between CB Junction and  
Hornell, for example, the one and only signal installation was  in 1930.  At 
that time, the division still had a number  of sidings, often with substandard 
length or cut by crossings.  They  included one extending eastward between 
CBJ and Cuba, Cuba Summit, Friendship,  Belvidere, Belmont, Wellsville, Dyke 
(east of Wellsville), Andover, and Tip  Top.  Double track also remained 
between Cass Street and Oakley Tower west  of Almond.  Each end of these 
sidings had a tall,  two-headed signal, located just beyond the switch.  The lower 
head was  a red marker light and together with the absence of a number  
plate helped establish that red-over-red meant Stop, not Stop and  Proceed.  In 
the APB (Absolute Permissive Block) system, this signal  marked the 
beginning of the head block.  A train passing it would tumble  down to red all 
signals governing opposing movements between there and the  next siding.  As 
these sidings were pulled up in the 1960s, the head block  signals lost their 
marker lights and gained number plates.  Based  on observing the operation 
from parallel roads during the early 1970s,  I would say that it appears that 
the signals still tumbled-down groups  of wayside automatics just as they 
did before, although I thought I saw some  evidence that at least some 
head-blocks had been eliminated altogether with the  adjoining groups of automatics 
being combined.  In the era before scanners,  all this mattered greatly if 
you were in your car trying to locate a  train.
 
Another common reason for signal changes was respacing.  Originally,  i.e., 
from about 1910 to 1930, many signal installations were justified as  
protecting passenger train movements, and at the time freight trains were  
shorter and lighter also.  I recall reading, but have never seen any real  proof, 
that the typical signal block originally was around 1.8 miles  with 
adjustments made for grades.  The changes that came with the 3300's,  diesels, 
heavier freight cars, and better brakes (including advances in  brake valves 
right into the 1970s) all impacted stopping distance and caused  signal spacing 
to be re-evaluated periodically.  The advent of long stack  trains brought 
another round--a 400-container stack train was more than two  miles long.  
More recently, improved track code technologies have  permitted longer blocks. 
 Signals respaced by Conrail or NS seemed to end  up with about 3 to 3.5 
mile blocks, this being determined mainly by the  limitations of track code.
 
The best documentation that I have seen for Erie and EL-era changes is the  
notes on valuation maps.  While it's a lot of work to interpret them, the  
locational data is especially good.  Bob mentions track charts.  If  you 
have one of the old hand-drawn charts, you can often see the erasures  showing 
old sidings and signals.


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